


Legacy

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Kakashi and Iruka are adorable, Lee and Gai are...Lee and Gai, M/M, Mission Fic, Naruto is (pretty much) Iruka's son, Neji has feelings, Pre-war era, Sakura is fed up with everyones shit, Tenten has a backstory!, Tenten thinks she's stuck in the friendzone (hint: she's wrong), Tsunade is everyones sassy grandma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 08:05:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4012078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Konoha is on the brink of war, and the fate of the battle may just rest in the hands of Konoha's number one weapons master. In order to win the war and save Konoha, Tenten must confront the shameful legacy of her disgraced clan, and retrieve a dangerous weapon from the hands of the enemy before it can be used against the village.<br/>With only her wiles and her cunning to aid her, and without her trusty weapons, can Tenten do what needs to be done to save Konoha? And if she can, will it be enough?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> So I finished the manga and it just made me so _angry_. I love Tenten. I love Neji, and neither of them got the ending they deserved. Tenten never got the screentime she should have had as, franskly, one of the only interesting female characters on the show, and Neji flat out **** for no reason. I hated it-so I changed it.  
>  Obviously this deviates from canon, like, a lot, but if that doesn't bother you, enjoy!

Tenten crosses her arms and stares ahead coolly. “Respectfully, Tsunade-sama, I disagree.”

Tsunade raises an eyebrow and the Hokage’s office falls deathly silent. “You disagree?”

A few paces behind her, Tenten can sense Lee and Gai panicking, their chakra spiking with distress. Neji’s remains steady, but then she’s not surprised. Neji would never expect anything less than the absolute truth out of her. 

Over Tsunade’s shoulder, Naruto’s eyes have gotten huge, and his jaw has dropped open in shock—which Tenten thinks is pretty rich considering she calmly raised a protest with the Hokage’s decision instead of screaming obscenities like Naruto would have done (and has done in the past). Really, she has a lot more finesse than that blonde idiot.

Tenten holds her head high. “Yes. I disagree with the parameters of this mission. Furthermore I object to being assigned this mission at all.”

Tenten deeply respects the office of the Hokage, and over time has come to respect the Godaime herself beyond the childish infatuation she had for her idol. Throughout her years as a ninja of Konoha, Tenten has found the Godaime to be a stern, but fair leader; one who can be counted on to make the best decisions for the village, whatever the cost. Tenten has never been shy expressing her opinions about things she believes are important, and because she has a genuine protest regarding this mission, she believes Tsunade will listen. As much as Tsunade rules with an iron fist, she is a leader that recognises that her ninja _are_ her iron fist, and only by trusting their skills and their judgement will Konoha remain strong. Tenten trusts Tsunade to respect her judgement, just as she respects Tsunade’s.

The Godaime Hokage rests her chin on threaded fingers, eyes dark and intent on Tenten. “And why are you disagreeing with your Hokage Jounin-san?”

Tenten straightens. “Because there are better uses for my abilities inside the village Hokage-sama. With all due respect, I’m the last of my clan in Konoha. The village has no other weapons experts. We’re on the verge of war. The last thing the village needs is for its only weapons master to leave the village. Not only am I one of the few ninja in the village capable of mending weapons, I’m the only one capable of manufacturing special chakra-harnessing custom weapons. I’m very rarely without business nowadays. My orders have gone through the roof since the village started preparing for war.” Tenten runs a hand through her hair.

“My apprentice Tsume and my forger Kai can handle the business while I’m away on missions, but there are still tasks only I can do as a clansman. The demand for my services is such that I’m unable to get away from the shop for longer than a few hours in recent weeks. My shop is the only one in the village able to create and mend custom ninja weapons. Shinobi of the hidden leaf have a long history of using custom-made weaponry and chakra-aids from my family. There are at least 170 active shinobi that use my grandmothers, or my father, or my weaponry. It would be irresponsible of me to leave them without an adequate mender on the brink of war.” Tenten looks at the Godaime imploringly. She has to understand. “Tsunade-sama, this mission could easily be assigned to another kunoichi. Why you would assign me to this mission is, frankly, beyond me.”

Shizune makes a choked noise. Tsunade’s brow lifts to the top of her hairline. “Is it?” she murmurs, but to Tenten’s relief she looks like she’s considering Tenten’s words carefully.

“Besides, there are much more appropriate choices than me for this sort of mission Hokage-sama,” Tenten feels compelled to add.

Tsunade’s eyes sharpen, and Tenten has the sudden feeling she’s said something incriminating. 

“Why do you say that?” Tsunade asks curiously.

Tenten lick her lips, and immediately curses herself for the nervous gesture. There’s no way Tsunade didn’t see that. The last thing Tenten wants is for the Hokage to get the impression that the reason she’s protesting this mission is because she’s uncomfortable with it. The village really _can’t_ afford to lose her so close to war.

“I believe there are kunoichi better suited to this class of mission. Ones with experience working in… seduction.” Tenten keeps her words even, but she’s pretty sure she fails to keep the disdain out of her voice at the ugly word. She practically spits in her haste to get it out. “I’m a weapons master, not a _seductress_.”

Tenten locks gazes with the Hokage for a long moment, and Tenten gets the feeling Tsunade is testing her resolve. Eventually the Hokage drops her gaze, looking out the window with a small sigh. The rest of the room, save Tenten, lets out a collective breath.

“You’re right Tenten,” Tsunade says. “This probably isn’t the most appropriate mission for you, nor can the village spare you.”

“What!” Naruto screeches, flailing. “You never tell _me_ I’m right! Why does Tenten get special treatment granny!”

The Godaime shoots Naruto a sharp look, smacking him over the back of his head. “Don’t interrupt brat! Maybe it’s because Tenten affords me respect befitting my rank, and doesn’t scream like a petulant child when she doesn’t get her way!”

Naruto rubs the back of his head and glares at Tenten, muttering something under his breath that makes Neji shift subtly into the initial stance for the kaiten, and causes Lee and Gai to go red with offense.

Tenten twitches with the desire to fly across the room and pummel Naruto into the floor for the absolutely filthy insult, but instead she glares a hole through the wall above the Hokage’s head. Tsunade just commented on how she was more mature than Naruto. Tenten can’t go about proving her wrong in front of her face. Tenten smiles cruelly. Naruto will be getting a nasty surprise when they leave though.

“Unfortunately,” Tsunade stresses, shooting Naruto a sour look, “we have no choice but to send you.”

Tenten feels Neji straighten, and she immediately does the same. “Can I ask why Tsunade-sama?”

Tenten thought her protest had been more than satisfactory, and apparently Neji felt the same.

Tsunade’s expression turns dark, and Tenten gets a sense of foreboding in her gut. “ _Because_ you’re the last of your family Tenten. The reason you’re the only one suitable for this mission is precisely the same reason you’re of such value to Konoha.”

Shizune passes Tenten a red folder, and Tenten is more than a little surprised, not only to see it is sealed with an S-class insignia, but also that it is stamped with the mission rank of ‘Captain’ in bold letters. Tenten has been on S-class missions before, but she has never been captain of one. The idea that this is both a seduction mission and an S-class mission leaves a lead weight in her gut.

Tsunade steeples her fingers, and flips open her copy of the mission folder. Tenten, Gai, Lee and Neji; as well as Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura do the same.

“On the borders of Mist there is a small town called Gotofu where Kira-nin go to rest and recuperate between missions. In recent years it has become famous as the chief residence for the Mist Daimyo‘s favoured son. The son’s name is Seichi Ryo, and it is rumoured that he has managed to get his hands on a Chimera.”

Tenten sucks in a breath and her body goes cold. Kakashi looks over at her curiously. Any other time Tenten might find it interesting that the famous Copy-ninja has never heard of a Chimera, but she’s having enough trouble avoiding tunnel vision to bother with surprise. Gai steps up behind her and squeezes her shoulder, but she barely feels it.

“They were all destroyed,” Tenten says faintly, and despite her resolve, her voice shakes. 

If _Mist_ has found a Chimera then it won’t matter how many speciality weapons Tenten makes for Konoha. The war will be over in a single blow.

“Tenten,” Gai says quietly, and Tenten snaps back to herself. He steps away.

Tsunade is looking at her with solemn eyes. “You know what this means Tenten.”

Tenten swallows. “Yes.” She licks her lips. “It could just be a rumour. I was told they were all destroyed by my ancestors in Kumo.”

Tsunade nods. “More than likely it is just some young runt posturing, but we can’t take the chance.” The Godaime’s eyes sharpen and bore into Tenten. “If there is even the slightest chance the Daimyo’s son has a Chimera, it needs to be found. And as far as I know, only the people of your clan can wield them.”

Tenten closes her eyes and pushes down the panic. “If it is a true Chimera no one but me, or someone from my bloodline, will be able to touch it. As a failsafe the elders of my clan deemed only my clansman could be trusted with the weapon, and each Chimera has a built-in bloodline detector” Tenten confirms, hesitates. “There are more of my clan in Kira. My bloodline comes from lightening-country, but more of my ancestors migrated to Kira than Konoha.”

Tsunade nods. “The seven swords were originally the work of your clan were they not?”

Tenten nods and Naruto goes wide-eyed. “Cool! Zabuza had one of those!”

Sakura smacks him and Naruto glares, but goes obligingly quiet.

“For those of us without the benefit of prior knowledge, can someone please explain what a Chimera is?” Sakura asks, and Tenten sees Kakashi relax slightly. She holds back a smirk. No doubt Sharingan Kakashi didn’t want to be the one to have to ask. It would probably bruise his ego to admit to any lack of fore-knowledge. 

Tsunade gestures to her, and Tenten struggles to speak for a moment because her throat has closed up. Lee ground her with a hand on her back, and suddenly she can talk again. 

“A Chimera is, in its base form, a weapon, but it is so much more than that. My clan created five of them at the behest of the first Raikage who wanted a weapon no other hidden village could defeat. My clan agreed to create such a weapon, on the condition that the weapons would only be used to protect the village from the devastation of war. Soon after creating the weapons my clan realised the Raikage was planning on using the weapons to wipe out Konoha. The Raikage was insane. He wanted to destroy the peace the first Hokage had spent years fostering, all for the sake of power. He believed expanding Cloud’s borders was more important than peace. My clan disagreed, and made plans to destroy the weapons and flee Lightening country. They knew they would be shunned for their decision, but peace was more important to them than stature. The Raikage discovered their plan, and intercepted my clan before they were able to leave Kumo. When a great number of my clan had been slaughtered and it looked like the Raikage was going to take the weapons, my great grandmother Sachi used the weapon she had made against the Raikage and his ANBU. They all died in a single strike.”

“How,” Sakura asks, swallowing roughly, “How is that possible?”

“What kind of weapon can take out a Kage in a single strike?” Kakashi muses, almost to himself, but his eye is troubled. 

Tenten licks her lips, calling up the schematics in her mind so she can explain. It still both amazes and frightens Tenten that her ancestors created such a devastating weapon.

“The Chimera works by draining chakra from life-sources: people, earth-matter, animals. It doesn’t matter. It can use anything, but it never siphons the wielders chakra. Its power is two-fold. Not only does it weaken enemies by draining their chakra, once it has gathered enough it releases it in an elemental release of the wielders choice. It takes almost no chakra to operate, and its destructive capabilities are incalculable.”

“What do you mean incalculable?” Neji asks.

“I mean, Kumogakure wasn’t the village hidden in the clouds until my grandmother used the Chimera’s Earth elemental release.”

“Do you mean to say this weapon your clan created erected mountains?” Tsunade asks, and her face holds a delicate kind of horror Tenten has never seen on the Godaime’s face before.

Tenten looks away, feeling oddly ashamed. Logically Tenten knows she had no part in creating the Chimera so she has no reason to be shamed, but its destructive capabilities are part of her legacy. If even one Chimera survived her clans migration from Lightening country then she is responsible for its legacy, whatever her part in its birth. 

“I’m saying the greatest strength of this weapon is that its potential for destruction is limitless. My clans greatest strength has always been the ability to see where chakra and metal meet, and how that connection can be exploited for offensive and defensive purposes. This weapon was my clans’ master achievement in offensive weaponry, and it became our greatest bane, a stain on our reputation as shinobi. After my great grandmother used her weapon to destroy the Raikage and his men, she was horrified by what her clan had created. She ordered the weapon she had made, and those of the other four elder clansmen, to be destroyed. In her eyes it was a monstrous weapon deserving of a monstrous name, so she called it a Chimera, and used her bloodline limit to disassemble and destroy all that had been created, before fleeing Kumo forever with her what remained of her clan. Our reputation as monstrous traitors meant that we could no longer use our clan name. We separated and migrated to different parts of the continent. Some travelled to Mist by boat, others to Rain country, or Rock. Some, like my great grandmother and grandfather, came and settled in Konoha. To everyone outside this room we are humble weapons specialists. Until today only the Hokage knew the legacy of my clan, the shame I carry in my blood as part of a clan that massacred the first Cloud shinobi and its Kage.”

Tenten smiles grimly. “We are still the most wanted people in all of Lightening. The bounty on my head may be higher than your Kakashi-san.”

Kakashi look at her, something like empathy in his eyes. “You’re not responsible for the legacy of your forebears,” he says, and something in her gut tells her he’s speaking from experience. 

“I know. It doesn’t change the fact that if the Daimyo’s son has a Chimera I am the only ninja in Konoha who can wield it, and you can bet there are a lot more of my family in Mist who can too.”

“What’s your family name anyway?” Naruto asks, because of course that’s what he took out of her lecture.

Tenten blinks, and looks at the Godaime. She waves her hand, giving Tenten permission.

“Mesuda,” Tenten tells him, and something clicks into place inside her. “Technically, I’m Mesuda Tenten.”

“Mesuda,” Kakashi murmurs. “I have never heard that name spoken without scorn.”

Tenten almost flinches, but she doesn’t.

They’re her clan. Not her family. 

She does not carry their name.

“Hey! Tenten could never be spoken about with such ugly emotion!” Lee enthuses defensively, and Gai joins him, pointing and glistening with tears of pride at Lee’s ‘manly display of passionate youth!’ Tenten ignores them, and keeps her eyes on Kakashi, who, to her surprise, hasn’t looked away either.

“Unfortunately, Kakashi-san, the high-standing of a clan can only be achieved over centuries, but it only takes one disgraceful act to tear it down to the ground. I believe my clan sunk further than most.”

Kakashi is still appraising her when she looks away. If he wants to judge for the legacy of a clan whose name she doesn’t even share, then fine, but she will have no part in it. 

The Godaime claps her hands to break up Gai and Lee’s joyful, sobbing, hug. She takes a deep breath and pins Tenten with a look. “Now that we’re all clear on exactly how important it is to recover the Chimera if it does indeed exist, we will move on to mission parameters.” 

“Due to the grave importance and sensitive nature of the task, this will be a two-squad, or eight man mission.”

Naruto sticks up his hand, tongue poking out of his mouth.

Tsunade sighs. “Yes Naruto?”

“Who’s our eighth man granny?”

Tsunade smirks, “Why me of course.”

All around there is a chorus of disbelieving noises and outright protest before Tsunade holds up her hand, silencing them all. “I will be going in disguise with Team Seven as my guard. Team Gai will be the primary squad on this mission.” Tsunade’s eyes darken. “If there is a Chimera in Gotofu, I need to be there to evaluate whether the weapon should be retrieved or destroyed. If it cannot be utilized for the war, it may be in our best interest to destroy it, and I will not be leaving the final decision on the matter to anyone else but me. Understood?”

“Of course Tsunade-sama,” they chorus.

Tsunade smiles. “Good. Now on with the briefing.” Tsunade opens her folder. “As I was saying this is an eight-man mission. Team Gai is primary squad with Team Seven as back-up. Team Seven will only engage in the instance that Team Gai’s cover is blown. Team Gai will infiltrate the Seichi household as servants. Our intelligence suggests that Seichi Ryo is fond of two things: women and weapons. It will be your job Tenten to get close enough to the target to find out where he is keeping the Chimera. We suspect he keeps it close to him, so we need you to gain access to his private quarters.”

Tenten grimaces. Three guesses how she’s going to do that.

“You will be stationed initially in the bathhouse as an attendant. We have it on good authority that Seichi Ryo likes to soak twice a day so you should have ample time to seduce him. Gai will be posing as a wealthy weapons merchant from Rice country. It will be your job Gai to see that the Daimyo’s son and his household are fully distracted. The more time Tenten has to find the Chimera the better. Lee will be posing as your apprentice, and he will be your back-up. Neji, you will also be working in the bathhouse, and you will be Tenten’s backup. Your Byakugan should help with the search for the Chimera.”

“This is your mission. Do you accept?”

Tenten swallows back her nerves. “Yes,” she says. Six other voices echo her.

This is her mission. Her family’s legacy. 

She will not fail.

\--

Tenten doesn’t like the word orphan. Orphan implies a lack of family. Tenten has family. She has her team and she has her friends. Her parents are dead: her mother during childbirth, and her father on a mission when Tenten was still in the academy. Despite knowing that she was technically an orphan, Tenten never felt lonely as a child. If she wanted company, she would go find her friends, and Iruka-sensei was always available if she wanted to have a good cry about her parents. He understood what it was like to lose your parents, and she never felt stupid for crying when she was crying around him. 

Tenten doesn’t cry much anymore, doesn’t actually remember the last time she shed a tear that wasn’t out of laughter for something Lee and Gai did, or in response to one of Naruto’s stupid, hilarious stunts. Tenten never felt like an orphan, and she was always grateful for that. She was never lonely like Naruto was, never had to clamour for attention or praise. Tenten was a good student, and now she’s a good ninja. Not a lot has changed for her. She didn’t go from pathetically weak to insanely powerful like Naruto and Sakura did. She was never a high-achieving prodigy like Neji, or a bastion of hard-work like Lee. She was good. She has always been good, and she’ll probably continue to be good at everything she does until she dies a shinobi death on some mission gone wrong. 

She never resented that she wasn’t a powerhouse like a lot of her friends, because she could do something that they never could. It wasn’t something that could be taught, or copied. It was innate. It was in her blood. It was the strength of her father, and her grandmother before him. The bloodline-limit of the Mesuda clan: the Kinzoku kokei. 

It doesn’t drastically change her eyes like a lot of other doujutsu. In fact, because her doujutsu is always active, no one but the Hokage knows Tenten even has a bloodline-limit. The Kinzoku kokei doesn’t drain her chakra so there are no ill-effects from keeping it active all the time. The idea that people look at Tenten and don’t know the true colour of her eyes amuses her. Occasionally she’ll let the Kinzoku kokei drop for a fraction of a second just to freak people out when her eyes turn blue. As much as she hates lying to her friends and her family about her bloodline limit the Sandaime and her father both has assured her it was necessary to protect the secret of her lineage. Even in Konoha, people knew about the Mesuda. If it was ever discovered she belonged to the disgraced clan, things would not end well for her, especially with the bounty on her head. 

Tenten walks into her shop and throws on the red apron with little animated kunai that’s resting on the hook behind the counter. She makes a face at Tsume’s fedora that is sitting on the hook where her apron usually is. Tenten banned her from wearing it inside. If her apprentice was going to embarrass herself wearing that thing, it was going to be outside Tenten’s shop where no one would associate the ugly rust colour with her beautiful weaponry. 

Tsume comes out of the back room where Tenten can vaguely hear Kai hammering away on the forge way out back, working tirelessly on one of their many custom orders. Tenten is not looking forward to telling him she’s been called away on a mission. Sure, she is his boss, but the man carries a scolding hammer around and looks like he could crush her head with one massive bicep. It is hard not to be intimidated. 

Tsume’s blonde braid is wrapped around her neck like a scarf, and drops down her back to graze the floor. Like always, Tenten is amazed she can even walk with the weight of all that hair hanging off her head. It is just not practical for a ninja, even one not on active duty, to have hair that cumbersome. Tenten itches to cut it off. It doesn’t help that there are so many sharp implements around, tempting her. Tenten touches her own hair and wonders if she should leave it down for the mission. She shakes her head. She’ll ask Sakura later.

Tsume looks up at her, and grins, the triangular face-markings cupping her jaw, curving up with her smile. “Hey boss. Morino’s coming in to pick up his order within the hour and he wants to speak to you about the tanto you sold him last week. No idea what that’s about, but whatever, we do awesome work so it can’t be anything bad. Also Aburame and Shiba called in. Aburame needs her custom wakizashi mended. She’s pretty adamant you do it because your dad made them or whatever. Not like _I’m_ offended or anything.” Tsume rolled her eyes. “Shiba wants a custom katana that integrates his sons water-type chakra, which I can get started on after I finish the Takeda order,” Tsume sums up merrily.

Tenten holds up a hand. “What makes you think you’re ready to start working with chakra integration?”

Tsume smiles cockily. “Because I’m the best damn apprentice you’ve ever had!”

“You’re the _only_ apprentice I’ve ever had, and you’re not ready yet. Kai will fill the Shiba order.”

Tsume slumps down into her chair behind the counter, listing dramatically against the register. “Oh come on Tenten! What am I going to have to do to show you that I’m ready for the more difficult stuff? Kai can’t do _everything_ while you’re away on your mission. He’ll explode! Or drop dead from being overworked!”

“How do you know I’m going on a mission?” Tenten asks suspiciously.

Tsume scratches the back of her head. “Uh Lee may have come over here looking for you, and he happened to mention it?”

“Happened to mention it,” Tenten says flatly. “Lee just _happened_ to mention that he and I were going on a top secret mission?”

“Ugh, _fine_! I got it out of him when I was fishing for leverage to make you trust me, or manipulate you into trusting me with the more difficult shop stuff, whatever.”

“Maybe I would trust you with more advanced weapons making if you didn’t spend all your time trying to manipulate me into doing it before you’re ready, ever think of that?”

Tenten grabs the rag from under the sink and starts wiping down the counter while Tsume glares sullenly at her feet and tries to come up with a counter-argument. Facing away from her apprentice, Tenten grins. If Tsume spent as much time in the workshop as she did trying to dig up dirt on Tenten, she’d probably be making chakra-infused weaponry already. One of life’s little ironies, Tenten supposes.

Before she goes home for the night Tenten mends and wraps the wakizashi for Aburame Keiko. It is not broken or cracked, but using her Kinzoku kokei she can see where the chakra and blade have fallen out of alignment, dulling its effectiveness. Tenten runs her palms over the blade, watching the chakra respond to her influence, and integrate with the metal once more. Tenten does a quick diagnostic with her eyes and find the chakra-currents within the wakizashi flowing beautifully. Tenten smiles, and runs her fingers over the beautiful metalwork on the hilt of the weapon. It is her fathers work. Even if Tsume hadn’t told her, Tenten would still be able to tell. No one but her father could have crafted something so deadly and so lovely. If he could see her now, Tenten knows her he would be proud of the life she’s built for herself. 

Tenten decides she will drop the package off at the Aburame compound on her way home, and goes about closing up shop. 

She sits down with Kai and Tsume before they lock up, outlining their duties in the two weeks Tenten will be away. Kai looks as grim as Tenten imagined he would anticipating the workload, but after she pulls him aside and hints around the Chimera, without actually saying anything about it because it would be a serious breach of ethics, Kai understands. He gives her a hearty hug before she leaves and tells her to be careful. Tsume, still pissed off at being denied the Shiba project, mutters a sullen goodbye and refuses to look Tenten in the eye.

Tenten rolls her eyes and draws Tsume into a hug that makes the girl squeal, and Tenten ‘accidentally’ knocks the fedora off her head. Tenten pulls back and looks Tsume in the eye.

“If you can forge a perfect katana by the time I get home I will start letting you work on chakra-infused weaponry.”

Tsume cheers, but Tenten hold up her hand to stop her. “It needs to be perfect. No inconsistencies in the metal, no imbalances. It needs to be well balanced and finished beautifully. If it isn’t done properly I will know.” Tenten looks at her sternly and Tsume nods, adorably serious. The girl is fifteen, the same age Tenten was when she made chunnin, but to Tenten, when Tsume tries to be serious, she looks like she’s five. “It can’t interfere with your other work. It must be done either when you have time in the shop or in your spare time. No exceptions, alright?”

Tsume nods, already bounding excitedly on her toes, and looking back towards the shop like she wants to race inside and get started heating the forge. Tenten clamps a hand on her shoulder.

“Stop it,” she chides. “I already had Kai lock up. You can get in early tomorrow and start then.”

Tsume glares at her feet and Tenten feels a wave of fondness for the manipulative, stubborn brat. They’re only eight years apart in age, but in the life of a shinobi that feels like a lifetime. Tenten looks at Tsume and she sees the Tenten that could have been if she made the same mistakes Tsume made; if she got cocky on mission and got herself injured and invalidated from field duty. Tsume is an Inuzuka through and through: she has her brother’s eyes, and her sister’s stern mouth and strong hands. She’ll become a wonderful weapons maker once she has all the training, but she would have made an excellent shinobi too. Tenten can’t help but mourn that she’ll never get a real chance at it. 

Tenten grabs her shoulder and squeezes. “You’ll do great. I believe in you.” Tenten smiles and Tsume, hesitantly, smiles back. 

“Thanks sempai,” Tsume says, blushing. It’s one of the rare moments in their relationship where the blonde genin isn’t trying her hardest to be an insufferable smartass, and Tenten remembers why she chose Tsume to be her apprentice in the first place. No matter how big of a manipulative asshole Tsume is, she has a good heart. 

Tenten slings an arm around her shoulders and squeezes companionably. “You’re welcome Tsume.”

They walk together towards the Inuzuka compound because it’s next door to the Aburame compound and Tenten still has to drop of Keiko’s package. Kiba meets them at the gate, manfully enduring his sister hanging off him as she excitedly recounts Tenten’s promise to train her in chakra-infused weaponry when she comes back from her ‘boring-ass mission’. Tenten almost interjects that Tsume has to make a perfect katana first, but gets distracted by Kiba who seizes her by the shirt and drags her into the compound for sake. Tenten protests that she has an errand to run before she can meet her team for dinner, but Kiba just looks at her slyly and says it’s the least he can do for Tsume’s _precious sempai_. Tsume is so embarrassed she ends up almost breaking the table over her older brother’s head to get back at him for embarrassing her. Tsume also almost breaks the sound-barrier cheering for Tenten when Kiba challenges her to a drinking game. Eventually they attract a crowd of younger Inuzuka’s who all get to watch Tenten drink Kiba under the table. About an hour later Hana drags a barely conscious Kiba to his room, but only after making Tenten promise she’ll come back and put her ‘little squirt of a brother’ in his place again soon. Tenten agrees, and then she’s stumbling out of the compound with another wave back towards a smirking Tsume, and heading towards the Aburame compound.

The Aburame matriarch meets Tenten at the gate, giving her an assessing once over that does not betray her opinion of Tenten’s semi-inebriated state one way or the other.

“Are you okay Tenten?” she asks with polite concern.

“Inuzuka’s,” Tenten says and Keiko nods, her eyes softening greatly.

“Ah.” She pulls something out of her sleeve and folds Tenten’s finger around it, patting her hand gently. “Drink this dear.”

“What is it?” Tenten asks, because she’s drunk, not stupid.

“Field-grade medical sobriety potion.” Keiko winks at her and Tenten goggles. “Works like a charm.”

“And you just…had one of these on you?”

“I live next to the Inuzuka’s dear. It’s a practical necessity.”

“Right,” Tenten says faintly. “Oh! I have your order.”

Tenten takes out the package containing the mended wakizashi, and watches bemusedly as Keiko closes her eyes and runs her fingers over it, without removing the brown packaging paper. She smiles slowly. “Ah. Wonderful work Tenten. You have your father’s way with weaponry I see,” she says warmly. “It’s integrated beautifully. It is even flowing better than the original your father made for me. Thank you.”

Tenten blushes and bows, struck dumb by the comment. “Thank you Aburame-sama,” she stutters.

Tenten walks in a daze towards town, running Keiko’s words over and over in her head, smiling stupidly at nothing. No one has ever told her she made something better than her father. It is not that she wants to supplant him, or out-do his memory, but there is a certain thrill realising she might be close to equalling his mastery. Tenten’s father was a master forger, a master blacksmith sought out all over the fire country for his skills. Tenten is just beginning to develop a similar reputation. She finds she can’t wait for the day people travel from all over for _her_ weaponry too. 

Tenten walks through the door of Kimichi barbeque, but not before remembering to take the sobriety medicine Keiko gave her. To her surprise it kicks in straight away, and is more than worth the god-awful taste. Tenten’s head clears. 

She spies twin green jumpsuit crowded into one side of the end booth, and slots herself in beside Neji while they’re distracted gazing into each other’s eyes with manful rapture. Neji has obviously been here by himself for too long, because he looks a bit strained around the eyes, and the minute she sits down he’s turning towards her.

“Tenten. You’re late.” 

Tenten steals a piece of barbeque off his plate. Neji’s eyebrow twitches, but he doesn’t comment on her thieving. Pointedly, he puts more meat on the barbecue instead. Equally pointedly, Tenten keeps stealing from his plate.

“I closed up late finishing an order, and I got dragged into the Inuzuka compound for a while when I walked Tsume home,” she shrugs, ignoring Lee when he’s almost thrown out of the booth by the force of Gai’s hug.

Neji cocks an eyebrow. “Kiba?” 

“Kiba,” Tenten confirms.

Neji takes a sip from his sake dish. “I presume you put him in his place?”

Tenten grins. “Of course.”

Neji smiles, and as always, Tenten takes a moment to thank Naruto for knocking some sense into her idiot best friend way back when. 

“Good,” Neji says. “Now tell me about your day.”

Tenten tells him about Tsume’s antics, a topic of conversation Neji always seems to genuinely enjoy. Privately, Tenten thinks it’s because Tsume is kind of like the little sister Neji never had, and he likes to tease her almost as much as Kiba does. He does it subtly of course. Neji would never steep to Kiba’s level of brazen needling. He’s changed a lot since he was a Genin, but not that much. Not yet. Tenten also tells him about the wakizashi she mended for Shino’s mother.

“She said it was better than my father,” Tenten tells him, not quite keeping the smile off her face or out of her voice. For a minute she’s so embarrassed by her own happiness she can’t look at Neji, but when she does she’s taken aback by the look of genuine happiness on his face, even more so when she finds it tempered by a particular type of fondness she’s not sure she’s ever seen on him before.

“What’s that look for?”

“Can’t I just be happy for you?” he murmurs, and smiles gently at Tenten’s pole-axed expression. “Don’t look so surprised.”

“Oh! Ah… I’m not! Of course I’m not. You’re a human. You have human emotions that occasionally you like to express. This is normal now!”

“Tenten you’re babbling,” Neji says, his happiness shifting seamlessly into amusement, but still tempered by the strange kind of fondness she can’t put a name to. Whatever it is makes her heart beat faster and her breath catch. 

Just as Tenten is about to open her mouth and ask about it, she’s interrupted by a very familiar drawl just outside. She looks through the slats in to the window to the street outside the restaurant, in time to see Kakashi and Iruka-sensei walking together. Tenten can’t quite put her finger on what it is that pings on her radar, but something about the way they are walking together, occasionally bumping shoulder and brushing hands, speaks of intimacy. Intimate intimacy. Tenten blushes and Neji follows her gaze, his eyebrows ticking up.

“Oh,” he says.

“Yeah,” Tenten agrees.

Iruka-sensei picks that exact moment to pull Kakashi down for a soft kiss. From where they’re sitting inside the restaurant, Tenten can’t see Kakashi’s unmasked face, but the fact that he would let Iruka-sensei pull his mask down in public, without any apparent discomfort, indicates a more serious relationship than she had anticipated. 

Tenten looks at Neji and Neji looks back at her with deep, fathomless eyes that stop her breathing. Something passes between them that Tenten can’t define, but before she can even think about exploring the sudden tension between them, Gai spots his rival and does a dynamic entry onto the street, crashing through the window over their heads and landing in front of a resigned looking Kakashi and a startled Iruka. 

Tenten puts her head in her hands as Mrs Kana, the old nin behind the bar, tears Gai a new one so thoroughly her former sensei is down on his knees begging for forgiveness in record time. Kakashi dragged Iruka-sensei off a while ago, and Lee went to run one hundred laps around the village for failing to ‘save Gai-sensei from his youthful enthusiasm!’ around the same time, so it is up to Neji and Tenten to sweep up Gai’s mess and drag him home. They deposit a tearful Gai into the arms of his saintly wife Lin, and head towards Tenten’s apartment. She doesn’t live far from Gai, and it is late enough that it will be more of a hassle than it is worth for Neji to go back to the Hyuuga compound tonight. 

Tenten shrugs out of her gear, and flops onto the bed in the singlet and shorts she had on under her uniform, too tired to even brush her teeth or use the bathroom. She ties her long hair into a high bun so it won’t get tangled in her sleep or end up smothering Neji due to its sheer impossible volume. After she’s wrestled Neji’s hair into a bun as well, arguing his hair is just as long and luscious as hers and therefore needs to be contained; she pats the spot beside her and grins up at him cheekily. Neji glares at her, probably still annoyed because she had to sit on his back and pinch his ass to wrestle him into submission before, but he obligingly ditches his shirt and pants before crawling in beside her. 

He gets his revenge at some ridiculous hour of the night when Tenten wakes up shivering because he’s stolen all the blankets. Sleepy and confused, instead of snatching the blankets back, Tenten snuggles close enough to share the covers with him. Lips resting against his shoulder and over-warm from Neji’s body heat and the insulation of the covers, Tenten nods off again quickly. She vaguely registers an arm curling around her shoulders and pulling her further into the warmth of a smooth, broad chest, but she’s asleep before she can think anything of it.

Tenten wakes up alone in bed to the smell of Neji cooking in the kitchen. She can tell it is Neji and not Lee or Gai because nothing is burning. She pads into the joint kitchen-living room, rubbing her eyes, and sees Lee sprawled out on the couch, drooling into her cushions. 

She looks at Neji who is flipping an omelette on the stove.

“When did Lee get here?”

“He came last night. He finished his laps close to here and was too tired to get home.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

Neji shrugged. “You didn’t wake up when he was pounding on the door. You must have been tired, so I let you sleep.”

Tenten smiles and has a sudden vision of herself walking up behind Neji and pressing her body against his, standing on her toes to kiss his neck. The shock of the image almost makes her miss a step and she stumbles a little, collapsing on the couch next to Lee. 

Lee jolts awake with a snort, looking up at her with bleary black eyes. “Tenten?” he asks.

“Yep,” she says, her voice coming out a bit faint.

Lee’s face turns red and he looks anywhere but at her. “Excuse me Tenten, could you put on some clothes please?”

Tenten looks down at herself and frowns. Well sure, her shorts are well _short_ , and her tank top is a little tight, but she was sleeping, what did Lee expect her to wear? Besides she sleeps like this around Neji all the time and he never blushes and gets embarrassed about it.

Tenten stands and puts her hands on her hips. “Lee, girls wear much more revealing stuff than this all the time. You’re going to have to get used to it if you want to not look like an idiot around girls. You should be more like Neji! I sleep like this with him all the time and he never reacts like you do.”

Neji fumbles with a plate and Tenten sends him a concerned look. Lee just stares at her, the blush spreading downwards until it is obscured by the line of his jumpsuit. “Tenten I really don’t want to know what you and Neji do in bed.”

Tenten chokes and Neji drops the plate in the kitchen sink with a loud, resounding _‘clang’_. There is a long, awkward silence before Tenten turns tail and ducks into her bedroom to have a shower and get dressed. Maybe she can wash her humiliation away, she thinks miserably. 

Tenten _never_ wanted to be like those pathetic girls who fawned over Sasuke and Neji, impressed by their power and good looks. In fact, Tenten wanted nothing to do with Neji until she was put on his Genin team. Then her avoidance became about avoiding any potentially girly feelings. She dedicated herself to understanding Neji as more than a prodigy. She wanted to see him as a person, and spent many years painstakingly getting to know the Hyuuga. She discovered Neji was a gentle soul, so damaged by grief and loneliness that he became hard and cruel just to survive in the poisonous Hyuuga political environment. She saw the real Neji: the trustworthy friend, the loyal teammate behind the cold exterior. Neji was comfortable with her, and she with him. They were friends, best friends, and now Tenten’s stupid girly feeling are going to mess everything up. 

Tenten steps out of the shower and wrings her hair viciously. Well she won’t let that happen. She will die before she lets herself make things awkward with Neji. The last thing he needs is another girl swooning all over him, let alone Tenten. Neji is her friend. She’s happy being his friend. Until this morning she hadn’t even realised she was attracted to him, and attraction is easily squashed. She just won’t think about it. If she didn’t notice it before, she can ignore it now. 

Tenten gets dressed in her mission clothes, twirling her hair into her traditional buns, feeling far more optimistic about the whole situation than when she went into the shower. 

It will all be fine, Tenten thinks to herself as she packs her mission kit. The mission will be fine. Tsume and Kai will be fine. This thing with her and Neji will be fine. The village will be fine.

Everything will be just fine.

\--

Team Gai meet Team Seven at the gate. Tenten does a double take when she realises the small, unassuming, red-headed boy standing next to Sakura must be the Godaime.

Kakashi sidles up next the Godaime, and somehow Tenten can tell he is grinning behind his mask. “Well hello Shini-kun, would you care to ride on my back?” he purrs.

‘Shini-kun’ sends him a dirty look. “This boy is half young age brat, grow a conscience!”

Kakashi bristles, “I’m only thirty-five,” he mutters. 

Iruka-sensei appears out of nowhere to pat Kakashi on the back. “Of course you are.” 

Almost everyone except ‘Shini-kun’ and Kakashi jump at his arrival and Tenten curses her lack of awareness. Beside her Neji stiffens, and Lee wails and promises to do three hundred laps around the village on his hands when he gets back. Gai immediately ups the number to four hundred and they embrace tearfully in front of a backdrop of majestically leaping dolphins, backlit by a shimmering, golden, sunrise.

“Every time!” Sakura curses, frowning fiercely.

Kakashi’s eye curves into a parody of a smile, but from the copy-nins unconsciously relaxed gait, and inferring from what she saw last night, Tenten guesses the smile is carefully constructed to look insincere to mask how sincerely happy the copy-nin truly is that his lover would come to see him off. “Why thank you dear."

Iruka-sensei is about to lay into Kakashi for the ‘dear’ comment, Tenten can tell, but Naruto launches himself at Iruka before he gets the chance to open his mouth. Naruto bowls into their former sensei, almost sending them both to the ground, but Iruka just laughs and hugs Naruto tightly, a wide grin stretching his face.

“Iruka-sensei!” He yells and hangs off of the man like a limpet. Tenten doubts their former sensei could shake Naruto off if he tried. Tenten tries to feel sorry for Iruka, but it is all she can to bite back a grin, the scene is so endearing. 

Naruto tightens his stranglehold around Iruka’s neck and Iruka pats his back, murmuring something quietly into the blonde’s ear that makes him go slack and tuck his head into the older man’s neck. Beside her, Tenten feels Neji go still.

“What did he say,” she asks curiously.

“He said ‘I’ll see you when you get home’, and…” Neji swallows. “’I love you’.”

Tenten looks between Naruto and Iruka-sensei, surprised, and feels a flush of happiness for the blonde. Looks like he found a family afterwards, she thinks as she watches Kakashi place a hand on Naruto’s hair and ruffle it fondly. Even Tsunade is looking at the scene with soft, patient eyes, despite the fact they should have set off minutes ago.

They say the rest of their goodbyes, and Kakashi pulls Iruka in for an impromptu kiss that leaves everyone but Neji, Tenten, and Naruto gaping. From the surprised, but pleased grin on Iruka’s face, Tenten guesses Kakashi’s insistence on secrecy about their relationship has been a sticking point until recently. Suddenly the fact that she and Neji witnessed their kiss last night doesn’t seem so coincidental after all.

They leave shortly after that, Kakashi pulling ahead smugly and ignoring all of Gai’s spirited declarations about the passions of youthful love. Tenten and Neji take up the rear, Neji scouting with his Byakugan, and Tenten ready to provide long-range weapons support if needed. They keep Sakura and Tsunade in front of them. As the missions medics, it is important they remain in the most protected position in the formation. Also, even though she is disguised as Shini, Tsunade is still the Hokage, and it is important she remain as protected as possible.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tenten can see Gai flickering around the formation, checking the perimeter for signs of danger, coming to settle just behind Lee and Naruto every once and a while, before flickering out of sight to scout the distance again. 

As they run towards the boat that will take them to Gotofu, Tenten can’t help but let her mind wander back to her apartment this morning: to how at home Neji looked in her kitchen, how he took up space in her bed like he was meant to be there. 

Tenten shakes her head to dispel the images. She can’t afford to be thinking like that. Not on this mission. Not with everything that is as stake. 

If there is indeed a Chimera in Mist and they fail to recover it… Konoha will lose the war.

Whatever it takes, Tenten will not allow that to happen.


End file.
